Austrian Walnut Cookies Recipes

VANILLEKIPFERL (AUSTRIAN VANILLA CRESCENT COOKIES)

Steps:

• Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and knead until thoroughly combined. Unless you're using the egg yolks the dough will be pretty dry and flaky, like shortbread cookie dough. Shape the dough into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut off small pieces of the dough and shape them into crescents. Place the crescents onto a non-stick or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes (depending on the size of the crescents) or until the edges begin to turn golden.
• Combine the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar. Let the cookies sit for one minute and then use a sifter to dust them with the vanilla-powdered sugar while they're still hot. Let the cookies cool completely and then give them a second dusting.
• Stored in an airtight container in a cool place, these cookies will keep for several weeks.

AUSTRIAN WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in egg yolks, 2 at a time. Gradually beat in flour., Divide dough into 3 portions. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, using clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold in walnuts., On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. round cookie cutter. Spread each cookie with 1 teaspoon walnut mixture to within 1/4-in. of edges. Fold dough almost in half over filling, allowing filling to show. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Dust cookies with additional confectioner's sugar. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

AUSTRIAN RUGELACH COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter with the cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the flour and using hands make a thick dough. Make three balls with the dough, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Mix the brown sugar with the cinnamon, raisins, walnuts and the chocolate chips.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator let stand in room temperature for a while and make 3-mm thick circles with each piece on a floured surface.
• Divide each circle into quarters and then eighths and sixteenths, until we have 16 equal triangles. Coat with marmalade and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Roll each triangle up, starting from the wide side, to make crescents.
• Bake at 360°F for 25-30 minutes.
• Dust, if desired with icing sugar, when they are still hot.

VANILLEKIPFERL (AUSTRIAN VANILLA CRESCENT COOKIES)

Steps:

• Place the butter and flour in to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse to combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place the mixture in a large bowl.
• Add the ground almonds, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, and egg yolks to the mixture. Knead the dough with your hands in the bowl until it comes together, 5 min.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, shape each into a ball. Place the balls in a sealed plastic bag or covered bowl in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, up to 2 days, to develop flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator.
• Remove one ball of dough from the refrigerator. Roll it into a rope, 12 inches long. Cut the rope into 12 even pieces. Roll each piece into a 3-4 inch rope and shape it into a crescent. Place the shaped crescents onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a non-stick baking mat, ½ inch apart. Repeat with the remaining dough, removing one ball of dough from the refrigerator at a time, until you have filled one tray.
• Bake the cookies, one tray at a time, for 11-12 min, until the tips of the crescents just start to turn a light golden brown.
• Remove the pan from the oven. (And place your second, cool tray with shaped cookies in the oven to bake, if necessary.)
• Let the baked cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes while you prepare your sugar mixture. Mix ½ c powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp vanilla sugar together in a shallow bowl.
• Take the warm cookies from the baking sheet and carefully coat them in the sugar mixture. Place the coated cookies on a wire rack to finish cooling.
• Repeat as needed with the remaining cookies.
• Leave the cookies out overnight to harden, and then transfer them to an air tight container to store for up to 1 week.